Japan: Japan's Nikkei share average closed 2% lower on Tuesday, primarily driven by a decline in semiconductor-related stocks. This downturn followed a significant drop in South Korea's Samsung Electronics, which caused the benchmark KOSPI to tumble.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Nikkei fell 2.12% to close at 68,256.96 points. The broader index ended 0.97% lower at 4,062.26 points, after reaching a record high of 4,137.62 earlier in the session. The impact was notably felt in shares of Japan's memory maker Kioxia, which declined by 11.26%, while chip-related companies Advantest and Tokyo Electron saw losses of 2.25% and 3.94%, respectively.

The benchmark KOSPI experienced a sharp fall of up to 8%, triggering circuit breakers for the sixth time this year as Samsung Electronics dropped by as much as 10%. Despite the semiconductor sector's downturn, Japan's banking shares showed some resilience. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group rose by 2.26%, with Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group slightly increasing by 0.39% and 0.18%, respectively.

Nomura Holdings emerged as the top percentage gainer in the Nikkei, rising by 3%. Meanwhile, Toyota Motor closed 0.79% higher. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prime market, out of over 1,500 stocks, 47% rose, 49% declined, and 2% remained flat.